Ejector mechanism for line-casting machines.



T. S. HOMANS.

EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR LINE CASTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.26. I912.

Patented June 8, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEET WITNESSES:

T. S. HOMANS. EJECTOR MECHANISM FOR LINE CASTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.26. 1912.

PatentedJune 8, 1915.

2 $HEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESSES:

A MW

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS S. HOMANS, OF HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK. ASSIGNOR T0 INTERNATIONAL TYPESETTING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

EJ'ECTOB MECHANISM FOR LINE-CASTING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. HOMANS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hempstead, in the county of Nassau and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ejector Mechanism for Line-Casting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in line composing and line casting machines and especially to those of the linotype class which employ an ejector blade to remove the cast slugs from the mold on the mold wheel.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide novel and improved means for connecting the reciprocatory ejector slide to the ejector blade or blades whereby ejector blades of different widths and thicknesses corresponding to slugs of different sizes may be used interchangeably and the interchanging of the blades may be accomplished quickly and easily, avoiding the necessity of removing the mold wheel or other operative parts from the machine or detaching the ejector slide from its operating means.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of the slug-ejecting mechanism embodying the present invention and adapted for use in a machine of the linotype class; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an ejector blade and its holder, these parts being shown connected; Fig. 3 represents a horizontal section of the ejector mechanism.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several views.

In the present instance, 1 designates a mold wheel or disk, such as that employed commonly on machines of the linotype class, the periphery thereof being toothed to provide means for driving it in the well known way, and this wheel or disk is provided with a suitable number of molds 2, any one of which may be used, and in the usual operation of the machine, the mold in use is brought to the slug-ejectin position by rotation of the mold wheel a ter each cast has been made, the slug-ejecting blade operating through the slot in the mold. The mold wheel is also provided with a slot 3 which serves, in a manner to be hereinafterdescribed, to facilitate interchanging of the ejector blades. The mold wheel is mounted on a mold slide 4 which may be reciprocated by a lever 5 in the manner usually employed in machines of the linotype class. One side of the mold slide 4 is recessed and forms a guide for an ejector slide (3, the latter being connected to a link 7 which may be operated by power means, such as that commonly used in machines of the linotype class. A bar 8 is fixed to the mold slide 4 at the end thereof adjacent to the mold wheel, and this bar supports a pressure member 9 and a spring 10, the pressure member 9 being pressed yieldably against the ejector blade 11 and thereby serving to insure a correct entrance of the blade into the mold. The bar 8 is omitted in Fig. l for clearness in illustration. A number of ejector blades may be used interchangeably, the blades being usually of the same length but varying in width and thickness in order to conform to thedilferent sizes of slugs cast in the mold.

According to the present invention, a holder 12 is provided to which the ejector blades may be attached interchangeably, this holder in,the present instance fitting against the mold slide 4 and is accommodated in a groove 13 formed in the ejector slide (3. The holder is provided at one end with oppositely projecting shoulders 14 which,

when the holder is in operative position,

abut against shoulders 15 on the ejector slide, these cooperating shoulders serving to transmit the movement and power from the ejector slide to the holder during the slug-ejecting operation. Suitable means is provided for detachably connecting the ejector blade holder to the ejector slide, a latch 16 being provided in the present instance which is pivoted to the holder at 17 and has a handle 18 by means of which it may be manipulated. The ejector slide is formed with a longitudinal slot 19 which has a notch or recess 20, the latch 16 being movable longitudinally in the slot 19 when the latch is in released position, and when the shoulders on the ejector blade holder abut against the shoulders on the ejector slide, the latch may enter the notch or recess 20 and thereby form an operative connection between the holder and the slide. Access may be had to the latch 16 through an opening 21 formed in the adjacent frame portion 22 of the machine.

The forward movement of the ejector blade holder may be limited by a pin or stop 23 which in the present instance is attached thereto and adapted-to abut against the bar 8. The different ejector blades are preferably connected to the holder by a suitable number of pins 24 .which, in the construction shown, are fixed to the forward end of the holder and form studs which fit into and detachably engage apertures in the rear ends of the different blades, the blades being attached and removed by a relative lateral movement after the holder has been detached from the ejector slide and has been shifted forward.

The present invention provides a construction whereby the interchanging of ejector blades to accommodate the machine for the production of slugs of different dimensions may be effected easily and quickly and without the necessity either of removing the mold wheel from the machine or detaching theejector slide from its operating link. When it is desirable to change an ejector blade, it is only necessary to rotate the mold wheel to bring the slot 3 thereof into alinement with the blade, this being permitted when the machine is in its normal p0- sition, and to disconnect and shift forwardly the blade holder, the blade being then exposed in front of the mold wheel and the blade may be detached from itsholder and the \desired blade substituted, and by shoving the blade and its holder rearwardly, the latch 16 will enter and move longitudinally in the slot 19 until the latch drops into the notch or recess 20, whereupon the holder and ejector blade willbe operatively connected to the ejector slide. The holder may of course be brought to the blade-removing position simply by lifting the latch out of its retaining notch and then sliding the holder and blade forwardly, the latch then moving forwardly in the slot 19.

It is to be observed that the interchanging of ejector blades may be effected without disturbing the operating connections of the mold or ejector slides and without the necessity of dismounting the mold wheel, notwithstanding the fact that the ejector mechanism on the machine is comparatively inaccessible.

I claim as my invention 1. In a line casting machine, the combination of a mold, an ejector slide, and a holder for ejector blades slidably mounted in the ejector slide and detachably connected thereto.

2. In a line casting machine, the combination of a mold, and slug-ejecting mechanism therefor embodying an ejector slide movable toward and from the mold, an ejector blade holder, and means detachably connecting said holder to the ejector slide and for shifting the holder at will relatively to the slide.

3. In a line casting machine, thecombination of a mold, an ejector blade corresponding in size to that of the mold cavity, a power-operated slide, and an ejector blade holder detachably fastened to and movably mounted in said slide and to which the ejector blade is fastened.

4. In a line casting machine, the combina tion of a single blade for ejecting slugs from the mold and corresponding in size to that of the mold cavity, a power operated ejector slide, and an intermediate holder to connect the blade to the slide, said holder being movable longitudinally in relation to the slide at will.

5. In a line casting machine, the combination of a mold, and slug-ejecting means therefor embodying an ejector slide, a holder having means for connecting and disconnecting it at will relatively to said slide, an ejector blade'capable of being connected and disconnected relatively to said holder when the latter is disconnected from the slide, and means for maintaining the blade and holder in connected relation when the holder is connected to the slide.

6. In a line casting machine, the combination of a mold disk, an ejector slide, a guide therefore, an ejector blade, and a holder for operatively connecting the blade to the slide,- the holder capable of being disconnected 'from and shifted relatively tothe slide to bring the blade beyond the mold disk, the blade being capable of attachment and detachment relatively to the holder only when the blade is shifted beyond the mold disk.

7. In a line-casting machine, the combination of a mold, a power-operated ejector slide, an ejector blade, a holder to which said blade is connected, and means detachably connecting said holder to the ejector slide and capable of manipulation at will to disconnect the holder and blade from the slide and thereby permit longitudinal movement of the holder and blade relatively to the slide.

8. In a line casting machine, the combination of a power-operated ejector slide, an ejector blade holder, an ejector blade removably mounted'on said holder, means for detachably connecting the holder to the slide, and means when so detached for moving the holder forward beyond normal position to a position where the blade may be removed therefrom.

9. In a line casting machine, interchangeable ejector blades, a'power-driven ejector slide, an ejector blade holder, means for attaching any blades to the holder, said means 130 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set rendering the blades detachable from the my hand in presence of two subscribing holder when moved forward beyond normal stroke and non-detachable within normal witnesses.

stroke, and. means for detachably connecting THOMAS S. HOMANS. the holder to the slide and adapted when the Witnesses:

holder is detached to allow the holder to be JAMES A. CRoMBIE,

moved forward for the changing of blades. W. E. BERTRAM. 

